


Once we go on ahead

by copperplate



Series: Once we go on ahead [1]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Angst, F/M, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, Polyamory, Post-The Raven King, The Raven King Spoilers, multiple view points
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 12:17:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6803815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copperplate/pseuds/copperplate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A peek into the lives of our characters after the events of the Raven Cycle (post epilogue). Each chapter can be read as a stand-alone and is from a different character's perspective. TRK spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd. Errors are my own.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam deals with goodbyes before college.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd. Errors are my own.

Adam Parrish was many things:  
Trailer trash. Scholarship student. Magician. Temporarily possessed by a demon. _Leaving_.

Two years ago, if you had asked Adam what it meant to be leaving Henrietta, words would not be able to adequately describe how full it made his heart feel. Leaving was freedom and escape. Escape from a toxic household; an _abusive_ household. _Leaving_ was starting a life where he had the means to not be poor. To not be pitiful. _Leaving_ was Adam fulfilling his unbound potential.

However, Adam Parrish was a very different person from two years ago. Two years ago, Adam Parrish would have been confounded by the idea of love. He would have told you he was not familiar with the concept, nor sure he was capable of it. Now, Adam Parrish had an abstract idea of what love was to him:

It was a fist bump with Gansey that conveyed an unshakable trust and everlasting friendship.

It was Blue running her fingers through his hair in empathy when everything was too much and he could only express himself with a furrow between his brows.

It was Henry Cheng sitting next to him in the back seat of the Pig, knowing Adam's nature as being innately curious, and as a sign of good faith whispering, "Open your hand," and RoboBee gently landing in Adam's palm for his inspection.

It was Ronan brushing his lips against Adam's knuckles in silent worship under a starry night on the roof of the Barns.

Love was a double edged sword. It meant that _leaving_ no longer filled his heart to bursting, but instead tore it in two.

But Adam Parrish was still leaving no matter what. He had gotten into Harvard, and Yale, and Stanford, and MIT, and Tufts. In fact, the only school he did not get accepted to was Cornell, but Cornell was not his first choice anyway.

Everyone had expected Adam to choose Harvard. But Harvard was too much like Aglionby: it was tradition and privilege and old white money. MIT was a much better fit: it was innovation, breaking boundaries, doing the impossible. MIT was very Adam Parrish.

Saying goodbye was hard, because there were more than one. The first goodbye was to the strange trio comprised of Gansey, Blue, and Henry. They were leaving on what was dubbed the "Awesometacular Adventure Across America, Aight!" Henry had insisted so much on the alliteration, he had made everyone brightly coloured, matching t-shirts. Adam had conveniently misplaced his t-shirt within 3 hours of obtaining it. Ronan had burned his proudly in a trash bin in one of the Barns' empty fields. Gansey, Blue, and Henry shamelessly wore their t-shirts on the day of their departure.

They stood in Monmouth Manufacturing's parking lot. The building was no longer Gansey's, making them trespassers. However, it just felt right for this to be the place to part ways.

Ronan was scowling with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against his BMW. Henry was still playing trunk Tetris, trying to fit all their stuff into the back of the Green Pig.

Calling it the Green Pig was a bit of a misnomer as it was shockingly orange. However the car was as environmentally friendly as they came, primarily because it didn't run on gasoline. Because it didn't have an engine. The Green Pig ran on dream magic.

To Gansey's dismay, Blue and Henry had over-ruled him when it came to deciding whose car to take. Everyone agreed Henry's Fisker was too ostentatious so it came down to Pig Prime versus the Green Pig. The Pig Prime was just too unreliable. Over the last month alone it had broken down twice. Blue had only been gifted the Green Pig for 5 weeks and it had served spectacularly, despite the loud roar that came from who-knows-where when the car was running.

Henry finally managed to slam the trunk closed and nodded approvingly to himself.

"Well!" he said merrily, pushing the passenger seat forward so he could climb into the back. "This is it. Put it there, college boy!" and he held out his hand to Adam. Adam grasped it and gave Henry a respectful nod.

"Be the voice of reason for those two," Adam beseeched Henry before letting go his hand. Henry laughed.

"Hell no! That's your job and you haven't been fired quite yet."

Adam gave Henry a slight smile. Henry turned to Ronan, who was actively trying to look as nonchalant and aggressive as possible. In other words, Ronan was simply wearing his Ronan look.

"Lynch!" Henry called. Ronan deigned to meet Henry's eyes, his expression bored. "See ya on the other side!"

Ronan snorted in response, but lifted two fingers in a half-asked salute. It was as good of a goodbye as Henry was going to get out of him, so satisfied, Henry climbed into the back seat of the dream Camaro.

Blue, on the other hand, was not going to let Ronan be a brat today. Without waiting for permission, she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist (as she was too small to really reach elsewhere).

"Gross, Maggot!" he said indignantly, but his arms came up to return her hug anyway. Before Blue let go, she whispered something to Ronan, that caused him to quirk an eyebrow at her. She flashed him a wicked smile and let go. She then skipped up to Adam.

Because of their history of having-dated-but-not-really-and-now-she-is-dating-my-best-friend, hugs between Blue and Adam were doomed to always be a bit awkward. However, Blue was a creature of physical contact, and after spending over a year in each other's constant company, being separated for at least the next 5 months warranted a proper and heartfelt goodbye. Adam leaned down a bit so Blue could at least wrap her arms around his neck.

"Have fun at school, you big nerd," she said into his hearing ear, holding him tight.

"Thank you," he said back.

She pulled away and tried to stealthily wipe a tear from her eye.

"Oh, before we forget, we got you something," she said, waving Gansey over.

Gansey reached into the passenger side of the Green Pig and pulled out a box. He carried it over to Adam and offered it with a nervous smile. Adam knew what he was worried about. He was worried Adam would refuse their gift. He was worried Adam would take it as an insult, or as charity. But Adam was not the same person he was two years ago. This Adam had since learned what a gesture of love looked like.

"We felt you would need this," Gansey explained as Adam took the box from him. It was heavier than it looked and wrapped in colorful striped wrapping paper. "We all equally chipped in," he added quickly.

Adam turned to Ronan, who offered an apathetic shrug as explanation, but had the hint of smile in the corner of his mouth.

Adam tore off the wrapping paper, and found himself holding a box with a sleek black laptop photographed on it. Adam felt a heavy lump in his throat.

"You bought me a computer?" he asked unbelieving.

"You can't possibly expect to survive at one of the most technologically advanced schools in the world without one," Blue answered practically.

"And when I say everyone chipped in, I mean _everyone_ ," Gansey clarified.

"Us four, everyone at Fox Way, all the Ganseys, the other Lynches, even Malory. So at the end of the day, it was easy to afford," Blue explained. Adam stared at the computer in silence for a few seconds. This was too much. But it was okay.

"You are going to be amazing," Gansey said to him. It was a strange thing to say, but Gansey said it in his Gansey voice - the voice that woke a stampede of bones, that opened a tomb to Glendower, that killed a demon. He said it like a was a foregone conclusion.

Adam had to keep fighting down that lump in his throat. What was most amazing was that he truly felt thankful for the gift, while his instincts were historically to be resentful. It wasn't charity or pity. It was his friends, no, his _family_ , wishing him the best on his upcoming journey.

"Thank you," he said with only the smallest waver in his voice. Gansey offered him his fist.

"Don't," Adam said. He gently handed the laptop to Blue and pulled Gansey to him in a hug. _This is my family. This is love._

Gansey thumped him enthusiastically on the back before they pulled apart.

"Excelsior," Adam said with a smirk, and Gansey let out the most voracious laugh. He headed towards Ronan, and Adam held back with Blue. The goodbye between those two was to be a private matter, so Adam escorted Blue to the Green Pig. She handed Adam back the laptop and climbed into the passenger seat.

"So we'll see you around Christmas," she said. "New York! I can't wait."

"Or sooner," Henry piped in from the back seat. He was concentrating hard on a game on his cell phone, but still managed to eavesdrop.

"Sooner?" Adam and Blue both asked in unison.

Henry looked up and his eyes shifted between the two of them.

"Well, duh! If you think for one second we aren't spending Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts..."

It was at that moment Gansey pulled himself into the driver's seat.

"What's this about Halloween?" he asked.

"Apparently, after four months of planning, Cheng has decided to change the itinerary on us," Blue said scornfully.

"As a girl who lives in a house full of witches," Henry explained, "one would think you would appreciate the idea of spending Halloween in Salem."

"Excuse me!" Blue spat, turning in her seat so she could properly glare at Henry. "Witches?! Did you just call my family witches?!"

Both Adam and Gansey flinched as Henry and Blue started bickering over the proper terminology for the habitants of 300 Fox Way.

"Well, er, good luck with that," Adam offered, suppressing a smile. He stepped back from the car and closed the passenger door.

Gansey rolled his eyes dramatically, but still managed to smile before he turned on the car with no engine. The bright orange monstrosity pulled out of Monmouth Manufacturing for the last time, leaving Adam feeling both sad and wistful.

That was only the first goodbye.

***

September 1st was a beautiful, too-warm Thursday, and Adam's last day in Virginia. In less than 24 hours, Adam would be getting into his shitbox Hondayota and starting the long ass drive to Cambridge, Massachusetts. In less than 24 hours, Adam would be saying goodbye to the shackles of his life. In less than 24 hours, Adam would be saying goodbye to Ronan Lynch.

They had yet to really talk about it.

Adam regretted that their last day together was already here. He regretted how much he still needed to say, but didn't know how. He hated that so much was unresolved, and that the last thing he wanted to do was spend their final night sorting out what they were. Or more importantly, what they would be once he was gone.

He didn't want to talk about it. But they had to.

The Barns was so alive this time of year. The leaves hadn't started turning yet. It was still too much like summer to feel like fall. Cicadas chirped everywhere. The rustle of the grass beneath tiny rodent feet could be heard at all times of the day. The Barns smelled like wood smoke and cow manure and first morning dew. Adam would miss this place.

Adam was _leaving_ , but that didn't mean he was never coming back.

***

Adam knew Ronan was magical for many reasons, but the biggest one was how he managed not to be burnt to a crisp after a summer spent mostly shirtless while having the complexion of the Northern Irish. That was until Adam, on the very day before his departure to college, caught a shirtless Ronan lathering himself with a cream from a white, unmarked bottle.

"Well, you might as well do my back," Ronan said when Adam had stood frozen a little too long in the doorway to Ronan's bedroom.

Adam  hesitantly stepped into the room and Ronan bared his back to Adam in its full tattooed glory. Adam loved Ronan's tattoo. No matter how many times he saw it, he felt he discovered new shapes and patterns with each viewing. Today, he saw a Jester's face beneath a multi pointed hat, cackling at claws and rose thorns. Ronan offered the white bottle over his shoulder and Adam took it. He squeezed some of the cream into his hand. It smelled like citrus.

"What is this?" he asked as he began to rub it into Ronan's skin. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel charged stroking the toned muscles of Ronan's back, fingers trailing the sharp hooks and petals of his tattoo. The cream was incredibly light and left Adam's hand feeling dry and smooth instead of greasy.

"Sunscreen," Ronan grunted.

"Did you dream it?" Adam asked. He brought his hand to his nose to smell it. Definitely citrus. But with something light and sweet. Almond?

"No shit," was Ronan's reply.

"It feels..."

"Like nothing?" Ronan supplied, turning around. "I hate normal sunscreen. Feels like paint."

Adam didn't argue the point.

They stood facing each other. The atmosphere intensified. There was so much to talk about, so little time.

"Look-" Adam said at the same time Ronan said, "I-"

They both stopped.

"I'll go first," Adam said. He took a deep breath and looked right into Ronan's eyes. "I don't want us to stop. Even though..." _I'm leaving_. He couldn't bring himself to say those words. "Me going to school, it doesn't change anything."

"It might change you." Ronan's voice was harsh; it was the only way Ronan knew how to hide his feelings.

"Yes," Adam said, because Ronan responded the best to honesty. "But I'm hoping in a good way. Like Aglionby did. Like you did."

Ronan's head dropped a few inches, pressing their foreheads together. Adam could feel the tickle of Ronan's sigh on his face.

"I..." Ronan started again, but stopped. Ronan was never a man of words. He was a man of action. So he kissed Adam. He kissed Adam with all the fervor and longing and worry he felt in his heart. He kissed Adam like a man eats his last supper, savouring it because there may never be another. He kissed Adam like a storm.

When they pulled apart, Ronan's eyes were closed and their heads were still pressed together. Ronan took two, slow, deep breaths.

"I know you hate it here," Ronan finally spoke, his words unsteady. "I know how you need to go. I just..." Ronan swallowed. "Fuck." Words were just inadequate for Ronan Lynch. "Tu mihi domum."

_You are my home._

Adam's heart thrilled in his chest.

"Es meus," Adam replied.

And that was all either of them had to say on the matter. Their bodies would convey the rest. Through kisses and touches. Through groans and friction. Through Ronan being mesmerized by the contrast of Adam's tanned hands against the pale skin of his ribs. Through Adam's tongue tracing the beaks and claws of Ronan's tattoo. Through Ronan's eyes looking at Adam with nothing short of worship, and Adam being absolutely perplexed because Ronan was the actual God between the two of them.

Once upon a time, the thought of leaving Henrietta forever had filled Adam's heart to bursting. Now, Ronan Lynch had that honor.

Adam Parrish was falling in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for bad Latin  
> Es meus = you are mine  
> If you are wondering what Blue whispered to Ronan, it was around the lines of: "I left condoms at the Barns for you. Don't wait too long." I don't know why, but I have a headcanon image that the only person Ronan would talk about sex with is Blue.


	2. He knew my father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronan gets to know Henry Cheng a bit better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd. Errors are my own.

Ronan Lynch was many things:  
Irish. Half dream. Obsessed with cars. Volatile. A farmer. A pseudo-father to a raven and a hoofed girl.

Ronan Lynch was also easily jealous. He had been jealous when Gansey brought Adam into their inner circle. He had been jealous when Blue first started hanging around them. And now he was getting that dark, toxic feeling every time Henry Cheng seemed to be in his presence, which was more often than he would like.

Henry Cheng wasn't a bad person, per se. But he was the anti-thesis to Ronan in every way. Henry was school spirit, activism, brown-nosing, curfews, and getting straight As. Ronan was anarchy, breaking rules, breaking noses, apathy, and FUCK THE POLICE.

The idea of Ronan Lynch being friends with Henry Cheng was _wrong_. But Henry had somehow obtained Gansey's seal of approval. Even stranger, he somehow had earned Blue's seal of approval. Blue's taste in people was usually similar to Ronan's, which is to say they tended to agree that most of the human race was a waste of time. So the fact that Blue approved of, no, was actually _fond_ of Henry Cheng made that angry, jealous beast curl inside Ronan's guts.

Cheng's new found friendship with Gansey and Blue meant that Cheng was now an acquaintance of Ronan's. It also meant that one Sunday afternoon, when Gansey pulled up to the Barns in the Pig, Henry Cheng stepped out of the passenger seat. Ronan had not invited Henry Cheng to the Barns. Ronan hadn't explicitly said Henry was NOT invited to the Barns, but it was still a shock to see him in his oversized designer sun glasses, smiling a toothy smile while assessing the Barns property.

"Well, now I know what cow shit smells like," Henry said cheerily to Gansey as Ronan stepped out the front door to greet them.

Gansey gave Ronan a sheepish look. They knew each other well enough for Ronan to interpret the look as, "Is this okay?"

It was unfair. Whether or not it was okay didn't matter because it was Gansey; Ronan would never turn away Gansey, no matter who he'd bring with him. Ronan gave Gansey the smallest of nods and Gansey let out a subtle breath of relief.

"What's up, Lynch!" Henry shouted. Ronan had to suppress a shudder at Henry's unbridled exuberance. This was going to be unbearable.

"I always wondered what this place looked like," Henry said, spinning on the spot. "It's very...farm," he finished lamely.

Yep, totally fucking unbearable.

Gansey led Henry to the house.

"What is this about?" Ronan growled into Gansey's ear as he and Henry walked by.

"Is there a problem?" Gansey asked in his Richard Campbell Gansey III voice: filled with niceties and the expectation for a mature response. Ronan was sorely tempted to punch him. "Look, I think it's important that you two get to know each other a bit better," Gansey explained.

Ronan gave Gansey his best "you gotta be fucking kidding me" look.

"Henry is part of this. Jesus, he even owns one of your dad's dream items. He's _involved_."

"But why is he in my house?" Ronan hissed.

"Because the Barns is magic," Gansey replied with a smile. Ronan's jaw tightened because that was not a proper answer to his question and Gansey knew it. "Look, I'm going to go use the bathroom. Just show him around. He's harmless."

Un-fucking-believable.

Gansey immediately disappeared leaving Ronan standing in the doorway to the house while hyperactive Cheng was ten feet away examining a mounted painting of a landscape that changed seasons every sixteen minutes. It had just shifted from autumn to winter, and Henry had noticed.

"Trippy," said Henry with a thoughtful smile. Ronan ignored him and walked through the kitchen. Henry followed, his eyes glancing off every surface, savouring all the dream items in plain sight: the toaster with no plug, the portable grill that would imprint a random dead president's face on your food, the clear bottle on a shelf containing a bright red liquid whose handwritten label said only, "One shot for a buzz, two shots to forget the last 24 hours, three shots to never wake up again."

Ronan led Henry out the back door onto the backyard porch. Henry stopped in front of the potted plant growing packaged chocolate covered peanuts. He reached out to touch it and a package immediately fell off the branch onto the floor with a clatter. Ronan raised a judgemental eyebrow at Cheng.

"Sorry," Henry said as he dipped down to pick up the candy. He held it in his hand, inspecting it. "Are they edible?" he asked.

For answer, Ronan snatched the pack from Henry, tore it open and poured the contents into Henry's palm. He then plucked a single chocolate from the pile and popped it in his mouth.

"Epic!" Henry said and then shoved his entire handful of chocolate nuts into his own mouth.

Henry crunched the candy loudly as Ronan leaned against the porch banister. He closed his eyes, trying to force patience to tame the restless, unhappy creature that squirmed in his stomach. He desperately wanted Gansey to hurry the fuck up.

"I knew your dad, you know," Henry suddenly said while flicking a leaf on the candy plant.

Ronan froze and opened his eyes. This information was not new. He knew RoboBee was a Niall Lynch original. He knew his father had done business with Henry's mother. However, the idea of his father having interacted directly with Henry did not seem like something that should have happened in real life.

Ronan folded his arms, staring Henry down. His silence was permission for Henry to tell his story.

"He wanted to test me," Henry said slowly, hoping he was correctly interpreting Ronan's stare as inquisitive instead of aggressive. "So he asked my mom to bring me to him. I was about nine years old."

Henry reached into his pocket and pulled out RoboBee. It's delicate wings glinted the rainbow like a prism in the sun. It was truly a work of art.

"Talking to Niall was different than talking to other adults," Henry continued, stroking a finger along RoboBee's shiny body. The bot quivered under his touch. "It was like he understood children. He was like a kid himself. He was smiling all the time and giddy and brimming with restless energy."

It was true. His father was very much as Henry described.

"The first thing he asked me is what I wanted to be. He said, 'not when you grow up, that's boring. But what do you want to be, right now, if you could be anything.' I told him I wanted to be a space pirate."

Ronan quirked an eyebrow at Henry.

"He asked me why a space pirate. I told him because all the treasures on Earth had already been discovered. But space... space and its treasures were still waiting out there."

RoboBee buzzed once in Henry's palm.

"He then asked me what I would do if, as a space pirate, I came across an alien civilization. He asked if I would rob and pillage them. I told him 'only if they were bad people.' He seemed to really like that answer. It had made him laugh."

Of course Ronan's father would like that answer. Screwing over bad people was Niall Lynch's trademark.

"He asked me one more question," Henry continued. "He took out RoboBee and put it in my hand and said, 'this bee will do anything you want. What will you ask it to do first?' Before the thought even got to my lips, it had jumped out of my hand and flew away. The answer had come to me instantly. A real no-brainer. The only thing I had ever really wanted was a friend. Not just a friend, someone who understood me. I was such a shy kid. I tried not to talk too much because when I did, I always said the wrong thing. What I meant just never came out right. So I had chosen to stop talking in primary school, and it was so hard to make friends when you didn't talk much. RoboBee had disappeared for only a few seconds and when it came back, it dropped a small bundle of ivy at my feet before landing on my shoulder. I didn't understand what that meant at the time, but your father did. He simply said, 'It's decided, then,' and sold my mom the two bees. RoboBee has never left my side since."

Henry looked up at Ronan as RoboBee leapt from his hand. It circled Ronan's head once, twice, before landing on his shoulder. He could feel the sharp points of its legs on the parts of his skin that were not covered by the thin sleeves of his tank top. Ronan held himself still, turning his head to watch the insect. It twitched and buzzed against him, the warm glow from its core making his pale skin appear orange.

"I think your father gave it to me because he felt the same way." Henry held out his hand and RoboBee obediently leapt off Ronan's shoulders to land in his palm. Henry curled his fingers around it and cupped it to his chest protectively. "I think Niall understood what it meant to be lonely. I think you do too."

Something in Ronan flared at those words, and he gave Henry a dark look. It was a dangerous thing to make assumptions about Ronan Lynch. Especially assumptions that were painfully close to the truth.

"I'm sorry," Henry said quickly at Ronan's glare. He then let out a short anguished laugh. "This is what I meant. I just keep saying the wrong things. I didn't mean any offense. Sorry."

Henry pocketed RoboBee and turned to go.

"I'm glad you have it," Ronan said to Henry's back. He didn't know why he spoke, but it felt like the right thing to do. Henry gave Ronan a shocked look over his shoulder. "Well shit," Ronan added, "how many times did it save Gansey's ass?"

Henry shrugged in response.

Ronan pushed himself off the banister and walked passed Henry down the porch steps. He stopped on the small path through the backyard, his back still to Henry. "You coming?" he growled.

He heard a quick shuffle, and Henry was instantly at his side. "Where?"

"Meet the cows. I assumed you'd want to see all the shit, not just smell it."

Henry gave Ronan a big, obnoxious, smile. Ronan rolled his eyes. "Just don't touch anything, Cheng."

Ronan Lynch and Henry Cheng were never meant to be friends. They were just too different. But Ronan had understood that Henry had told that private story as a sort of peace offering. Plus, if Gansey could approve of him, if Blue could approve of him, hell, if his own father could approve of him, Ronan would at least make an effort to tolerate him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ivy is supposedly symbolic for friendship and Niall knew this.


	3. Shame. Lust. Confusion. Lust. Introspection. Lust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Henry Cheng. I think he is a wonderful, complicated character who deserves all the cookies.  
> This chapter contains angsty masturbation.  
> Unbeta'd. Errors are my own.

Henry Cheng was many things:  
Wealthy. Korean. Righteous. Really good at video games. A loyal friend. _Something more_.

He was also incredibly grateful that his gamble in revealing his deepest secret to Richard Campbell Gansey III had led to what felt like his first real connection. That isn't to say he didn't care dearly about the rest of the Vancouver crowd. He did. But every day they felt less like peers and more like minions. He didn't want minions. Well, they were nice to have, and often useful in a pinch (or when he needed someone to get him coffee). However Henry's secrets created a distance between him and people in general. The worst part was that very few of Henry's secrets were his own. Most of his secrets belonged to others. He had the burden of carrying them.

That's why he knew it would be different with Gansey. Gansey was the same. Gansey held secrets, most weren't his, some he was still trying to discover. He knew about magic and he went with it. He knew about dreamers, and he didn't bat an eye. He had died twice and continued to live every day to the fullest. Gansey was the kind of creature Henry wanted to be. Most importantly, the friends Gansey kept weren't minions. They were his court. He consulted them, protected them, respected them, and loved them unconditionally. That was what Henry wanted.

Somehow Henry had gotten his wish. He was a member of that court now. Sort of. The others had a history that he was only partially privy to, and so the bonds they shared were on a level beyond anything Henry had ever known. Yet they trusted Henry with their secrets, and he trusted them with his. He may never share a knowing look with Adam Parrish. He may never be invited to drag race with Ronan Lynch. They were growing closer, but it was hard to call those two friends just yet. But he was undeniably part of Gansey's court, and so there was respect there, and understanding, which was close enough.

Blue and Gansey were another story. With confidence, he could call them his friends. They were his people. There was still the respect and understanding, but also a need to _just be_. Not _just be_ as in exist. Not _just be_ as in be true to themselves. It was so hard to express it. It was a feeling. A rightness. _Jeong_. There were no secrets between them. They could share tears without shame. They could tell inside jokes with fond memories. They could insult each other and still love each other. They were a trio, inseparable, and complete.

They were on the most Awesometacular Adventure Across America, Aight!

Henry Cheng had never been happier in his entire life. Maybe it was because he didn't have to carry secrets on this road trip. Maybe it was because he wasn't looking over his shoulder, worried one of his mother's enemies were close by. Maybe it was because he had already gotten accepted into Stanford with a one year deferral so he could spend a gap year "finding himself" (or whatever they called it these days). Maybe it was because Gansey trusted him utterly, and Blue now understood his humour a bit better. Maybe it was because Blue liked to play with his hair, and Gansey was starting to appreciate Kpop.

Maybe it was because they saw him as _something more_.

Despite all that, there was still something missing. Henry carried an emptiness in his chest. Something dark like a hungry open maw would suck out his good mood from time to time. When Henry tried to figure out what it was, he would think of the way Gansey would stare at Blue's lips before he bent down to kiss her (which fortunately no longer led to his imminent demise). When he tried to name this feeling, he would envision Blue's fingers lacing with Gansey's. Henry wasn't an idiot. Naturally he thought maybe what was missing was love, as in the romantic variety. So Henry would try to talk to the cute barmaid, or dance with the shirtless life guard. Henry was charming (in a self-deprecating way), and good looking (in a lean, pale, Asian kinda way), and his hair was always perfect (he had his priorities straight). Picking up was not hard. Sex can be found anywhere with some effort and openness to rejection. Yet that little emptiness didn't get filled no matter who he fucked or dated. He could be lying with the witty, blonde skateboarder, or the voluptuous cartoonist, and as soon as he closed his eyes he would envision Gansey tucking one of Blue's wild strands of hair behind her ear and feel _want_.

It took 2 months into the Awesometacular Adventure Across America, Aight! before he understood what the missing thing was.

***

It was  just after midnight and Henry was still awake. Restless. That night, in a shitty motel off the I95, he had his own room next to Blue and Gansey's. Sometimes they shared one room (because cuddling and saving money were things Blue insisted upon), and sometimes they didn't. Sometimes Gansey would be looking hungrily at Blue over dinner and Blue would catch him and smile wickedly, and Henry would know that this was a night he would spend alone.

They had said their farewells for the evening only 30 minutes prior. Henry should be asleep; they had a big day tomorrow. They were going to Universal Studios. Gansey and Blue had initially thought Henry was joking when he had brought up the Harry Potter theme park during the planning stages of their trip, but after a 45 minutes detailed explanation on why they all needed to be sorted into Hogwarts houses in order to self-actualize, the couple relented and agreed to make it an official stop. This meant Henry needed to be well rested to actually enjoy standing in a 2 hour line for a 3 minute ride. But it was so hard to rest when he could hear Gansey _moan_ _like that_.

This was the first time the motel was crappy enough to have paper thin walls. This was the first time that, despite knowing Gansey and Blue had had sex on their trip before, he could _hear it_. The creak of the bed. Someone gasping. Gansey whispering "Blue..." like a prayer. A deep breath. A wet kiss. Another creak of the bed.

Henry's two best friends were fucking. _And he was getting turned on_. The realization hit him like a slap in the face. He went through a checklist of emotions: shame, lust, confusion, lust, introspection, lots of lust, and finally, understanding. The realization crept up his spine as all the blood in his body began to  rush into his groin. He wanted what they were having. He wanted _them_. He wanted to be in that room watching Gansey take Blue's swollen nipple into his mouth. He wanted Blue to pull him down into a kiss and Gansey watch while touching himself. He wanted to suck bruises onto Gansey's toned broad shoulders while Gansey thrusted into Blue.

Shame. Lust. Confusion. Lust. Introspection. Lust.

His hand was already slipping beneath his boxers as he heard Blue let loose a muffled moan.

Shame:

This was wrong. They were his friends. He shouldn't be thinking about them like this. He had no right. They would hate him if they knew.

Lust:

Blue's perfect legs around his waist, pulling him deeper into her. Gansey's perfect smile, but hungry instead of charming.

Confusion:

He had never had an interest in a threesome before. Why now? Why them? Objectively he had seduced hotter people. Objectively he was usually Henrysexual: he used to prefer being an introvert and spending his free time dicking around YouTube over being with other people, physically or otherwise.

Lust:

He wondered if Gansey tasted like mint since he chewed it so often. He wondered if Blue tasted like blue raspberry because of her name.

Introspection:

_I love them. I'm **in** love with them. To be without them would be unbearable. But now I want all of them. Their trust. Their friendship. Their bodies._

Lust:

He wondered if Gansey had ever experimented with another man. He wondered if Gansey would be too above sucking him off. He wondered if Blue would get a kick out of watching such a scene.

He heard a giggle. He stroked himself faster.

An intake of breath, sounded like Blue. He slid his thumb up against the slit on the head of his cock, pleasure coursing through him and pooling in his belly.

"I'm close..." she whispered. So was he.

Panting. A gasp. Wait, that might have come from his own mouth.

"Jesus..."

That one was definitely Gansey.

Shame. Lust. Confusion. Lust. Introspection. Lust.

Henry shoved his other fist into his mouth to stifle any noise as he climaxed into his hand. The night was suddenly very still all around him.

Understanding:

_I am so fucked._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorrynotsorry but I am NOT in the camp that Henry is ace/aro.  
> I interpreted the "Henrysexual" comment from the book as him being shamelessly self obsessed. I would also buy into it meaning he was demisexual at most.  
> #StopAsexualizingAsians  
> 


	4. Tastes like Butterbeer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gansey finds out Henry's true feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd. Errors are my own.

Richard Campbell Gansey III was many things:  
Born to greatness. Lover of dead Welsh kings. Bad at Latin. Obsessed with magic. In love with Blue Sargent. Potentially a tree zombie.

That last one will always confound him. As a man who had died and been resurrected...twice...he still was able to be surprised. He was surprised when Adam had revealed he was going to MIT despite getting accepted to so many Ivy leagues ("At least he isn't going to Yale," Helen had said jokingly). He was surprised when Ronan had given Blue the Green Pig, proving Ronan cared for Blue more than he would ever admit. He was surprised the first time Blue had pulled off her shirt in his presence before pulling him down to her lips. He was surprised how quickly Henry had become part of his core, and how they shared a deep understanding that Gansey had never experienced before.

He was surprised to find himself sitting in the Hog's Head in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida. Gansey did not grow up on Harry Potter. He had never read the books. He may have seen one or two of the movies. He really couldn't care less about fictional magic when he had devoted so much of his life to finding _real_ magic. Yet here he was, because Henry-I'm-actually-a-toddler-Cheng insisted. And Blue had smiled and said, "It could be fun," and Gansey, ultimate pushover to his friends' requests, relented.

So here he was. With crying infants. With sugar high preteens. With exacerbated parents. With the worst of commercialism. And slipping into the booth across from him was Henry with three large frosty mugs of something that will probably cause diabetes.

"Butterbeer!" Henry said happily, shoving one of the mugs under Gansey's nose.

"Is there alcohol in it?" Gansey asked apprehensively as he stared down into the thick white foam.

"Richardman!" Henry gasped scandalized. "The legal drinking age in the state of Florida is 21, as you well know. Although if you really wanted some..." Henry gave Gansey a conspiratorial wink.

"Then why is it called Butter _beer_?" he asked.

"Because Briticisms?" Henry replied with a shrug. "Shut up and drink, Three."

Gansey took a sip. He shuddered. It tasted like liquid marshmallow. He subtly pushed the mug away from himself and looked up to the insanely long line for the restrooms. Blue was standing there in jeans that had been repurposed into shorts that showed off a scandalous amount of leg (although Gansey was not complaining), flip flops that had been purchased at a gas station, as well as their official neon "Awesometacular Adventure Across America, Aight!" t-shirt that she had also taken a pair of shears too. It now hanged off her shoulders and trailed down into tassels that partially obscured her belly. Henry had called the outfit "Hipster Glam Rock Chic," with an approving nod. Gansey would have called it "Country Club Inappropriate" but had wisely kept his mouth shut. It was a skill he was slowly mastering. No matter what you called Blue's eccentric style, she looked _good_.

Gansey was a man who had mastered self-control since the age of 5 out of pure necessity. Being in control of oneself was what it meant to be a member of the Gansey family, and failure would not be tolerated. But the amount of skin Blue was showing that day was really putting his resolve to the test.

Gansey glanced at Henry and saw his gaze was also locked on Blue. He saw the way Henry's eyes passed appreciatively up Blue's body. Henry looked hungry.

Gansey cleared his throat, and Henry jumped in his seat. He quickly averted his gaze to stare down at his mug of Butterbeer, a flush appearing on his cheeks. He had been caught and he knew it.

"I get it," Gansey said sympathetically. "It's kind of a group tradition to develop a crush on Blue. Well, unless you're Ronan, but he's-" Gansey didn't want to blurt out the word gay; it did not feel very proper to ascribe a label to Ronan before Ronan had ascribed it to himself. "Ronan," he said instead.

Henry's eyes slowly turned to Gansey. Gansey was expecting to see shame or embarrassment. It would have only been natural after a girl's boyfriend caught you staring at her, and Gansey had already forgiven him. Blue was beautiful, after all, you would be a fool not to stare at her. Henry's face, now pointed towards Gansey, was not ashamed or embarrassed. It was still very very hungry.

Once again, life surprised Richard Campbell Gansey III.

"It's not just Blue," Henry whispered, dark eyes smouldering, cheeks getting pinker by the minute.

Gansey was not as perceptive as Adam Parrish. A lot went over Gansey's head on a good day. However, Gansey was not an idiot either. Especially not when it came to Henry Cheng, who he understood implicitly. Whatever bond they shared, Gansey could read Henry like a book. The subtext of Henry's words were not lost on Gansey.

Surprise, surprise, surprise.

_Henry Cheng has a crush on Blue. Henry Cheng has a crush on me._

Ronan had made cruel jokes about this before. When Henry had first started to hang out with them, Ronan had called him "Gansey's Puppy." ("Christ. He's like obsessed with you. It's kinda creepy.") Blue had quite thoroughly defended Henry's honor and told Ronan exactly what she thought of him making such comments. ("You would know, seeing as Adam gave you a flea collar just yesterday, asshat.")

Once again it was proven that Ronan had merely been telling the truth in his usual tactless way.

Henry was still staring at Gansey. The hunger was still there in Henry's eyes, but slowly turning into caution. Gansey had been quiet for too long, and it was worrying Henry.

_What do I say to this?_

Gansey needed to do a lot of self examination before he would dare let words come out of his mouth. He didn't want to hurt Henry's feeling by leaving him hanging, but this was not something he was prepared to deal with in the middle of a theme park.

Before Gansey could address the swirling sea of feelings and thoughts running through his head, Henry stood up from their table and walked away, disappearing into the crowds.

_Shit, shit, shit._

Gansey didn't know if he should get up and follow him. There was a chance Henry wanted to be alone after confessing another secret. That was what had happened, after all; Henry laying his heart bare before Gansey, as he had done so many times before. And Gansey, like an idiot, saying nothing. Gansey did not deserve such a friend.

"Where did Henry go?"

Gansey looked up to see Blue slide into the booth Henry had just vacated. Gansey's thumb began to worry against his bottom lip.

"Uh oh, what happened?" Blue asked concerned. Gansey immediately dropped his thumb from his mouth and looked at her. She was achingly beautiful. Gansey did not deserve her either.

"I don't know if I am processing this correctly, but I think Henry just confessed to having feelings for the both of us."

"Come again?" Blue asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I think Henry likes us. Both of us. In a more-than-friends kinda way."

Blue's mouth dropped open.

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

They stared at their hands resting on the table for several minutes. Blue broke the silence first.

"Now that I think about it," Blue said hesitantly, "I am not grossed out by the idea of you and Henry making out."

Gansey gave Blue a less than amused look.

"I'm being serious!" she pleaded. "That would be...kinda hot."

"Blue."

She held her hands up in front of her defensively. "I'm just saying..."

Gansey continued to stare at Blue in disbelief, until he couldn't help it and started laughing. The situation was just too ridiculous, no other response would do. It took only a second before Blue started to laugh with him.

"Jesus," he said, wiping a hand across his face as his giggles subsided. "Does this make things weird now?"

"It depends," Blue said thoughtfully. "Do we pretend it never happened. Or do we do something about it?"

"I don't think I _can_ pretend it never happened. Christ, he's Henry! Our Henry..."

"Yes."

Gansey gave Blue a desperate look. He needed her to save him here. He was completely out of his depth.

"We could tell him nothing has changed," Blue suggested.

"But it has," Gansey whispered. And that was the truth.

"How so?" Blue challenged.

"Because I am not grossed out by the idea of making out with Henry either."

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

There was another beat of silence before Blue said, "It could be fun."

Gansey looked at her in shock. She simply gave him a wicked smile.

"What are you suggestion?" he asked slowly.

"That it could be fun," she repeated.

"Define 'it'."

"Making out with Henry."

"Me or you?" he asked.

"Both," she said, raising both her brows suggestively.

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

Something in Gansey's chest tightened. Now that the thought was planted in his head, he could envision it easily. He imagined himself cupping Henry's jaw and leaning in towards his partially parted lips. He could see Blue wrapping her arms around Henry from behind, her head tipped down to suck on Henry's neck. The thoughts stirred something inside him. He could not name the feeling. But he knew what it wasn't. It wasn't disgust. It wasn't displeasure. It wasn't quite lust either. It was the same feeling he had when walking down that long dark tunnel to Glendower's tomb. It was a feeling of timelessness; of something he had already done a million times despite it being the first time. It was a new feeling and an old feeling. It was fear and rightness and  melancholy and  accomplishment mixed into one.

It felt like an unavoidable destiny.

"Whelp. We better do some damage control," Gansey said, his head ringing with this scary, tempting future. "How do we find a Korean teen in a theme park?"

"We can ask someone to call him on the intercom," Blue suggested. "Missing: five foot ten, six feet if you count the hair, Asian male with terrible taste in eye wear. Last seen in Hogsmeade. Armed with a robotic pollinator. Approach with caution. May bite."

Gansey found himself cracking a smile. "Blue," he chided.

"I know, I know," she said, waving him off. "I'm taking this seriously, I swear."

Gansey passed a hand through his hair. He caught Blue eying the mugs of Butterbeer.

"Drink at your own risk," he warned her. She cautiously lifted one of the untouched cups and brought it to her lips.

"Wow."

"I know," Gansey said.

"This stuff is amazing."

"Oh God..."

***

They found Henry watching a performance of buff men in capes rhythmically pounding wooden sticks into the ground in front of a giant train. Or more precisely, they found his unmistakable hair poking up above the crowd.

Blue stepped up beside him and grabbed his hand, entwining their fingers. He turned to look at her and she gave him a warm smile before resting her head against his shoulder to watch the show. Gansey stepped up to his other side and wrapped an arm around Henry's back, brushing his fingers through Blue's hair. They all had a lot to think about.  What they were to each other was changing, becoming _something more_. But for now, they were going to enjoy their day and maybe ride the Hulk rollercoaster until Blue puked up the two mugs of Butterbeer she had managed to finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gansey is a tree zombie and no one will convince me otherwise.


	5. Speakerphone is a bad idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue decides it's time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd. Errors are my own.

Blue Sargent was many things:  
Not psychic. Part tree. A mirror. A feminist. Free of her kissing curse. Homesick.

Blue was a creature born and raised in a house of many women. Routine for Blue was fighting over the bathroom, being a guinea pig for bizarre tea concoctions, listening to Orla's horrid flirting, smelling burning herbs, good night kisses from her mother, and sitting in the shadow of a giant beech tree that may or may not be currently housing her father.

Taking a year off to road trip with Henry and Gansey was the best decision she had ever made. She was enjoying every minute of it. However, that didn't mean she didn't miss the hustle and bustle and people of 300 Fox Way.

She worried about her mother. She was concerned Maura Sargent had been abandoned by the people she loved. With Persephone dead, Artemus in the tree, Mr. Gray staging a takeover of the magical artefact black market, and Blue on her roadtrip, Maura might be feeling lonely.

Blue had called her mother as they were settling into an Airbnb in Birmingham, Alabama.

"I temporarily converted your room into a sex dungeon. I hope that's okay," her mother had said cheerily.

"Mom! You're on speakerphone!"

"Oh." Maura was unperturbed. "Hey boys!"

"Hi Mrs. Sargent," they said in unison, Gansey a bit uncomfortable, Henry with his usual perkiness.

"Ugh, let's avoid the Mrs. Sargent," Maura pleaded with distaste. "I'm no old married biddy."

"How about we call you Mistress Pain?" Henry suggested boldly. "To keep things thematically consistent?"

Maura laughed. "Was that Henry? Keep him around, Blue. In fact, bring him home for a reading."

It was at this point Blue felt it would be wise to never put her mother on speakerphone again.

Blue was looking forward to exploring Birmingham. She had proudly explained to her chaperones that historically the city was a major player in the civil rights movement for African-Americans.

Gansey was most interested in visiting the famous Vulcan statue, where he went on a 30 minute diatribe detailing the mythology of Vulcan, how he blackmailed his parents into getting Venus to be his wife, and his role in the greater Greco-Roman pantheon.

Henry's only Birmingham desire was simple:

"I just don't want to get shot."

This led to a heated argument between Henry and Blue, with Henry citing homicide statistics and Blue explaining the history of racism in America against the African-American community.

Gansey had wisely kept his mouth shut until the other two had burned themselves out.

After a wonderful tour of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, they stepped out into the humid air. The sun was beating down on the pavement and sweat was quickly pooling on their backs.

"Ice cream?" Blue suggested.

"Definitely," Gansey conceded.

There was a small parlour not too far away on foot. As they made their way to their refreshments, they passed a group of three young men drinking bottles of soda, laughing raucously. One of them eyed Blue as she walked by before calling out, "Looking good, babe!" which led to his friends laughing even louder.

Rage, sudden and explosive, flared in Blue. She spun on her heel, ready to give that asshole a good tongue lashing before she felt Gansey grip her arm.

"They're not worth it," he said. Gansey gave the trio of hooligans a disapproving look while they continued to laugh and roughhouse each other. Blue turned her wrath to Gansey.

"I don't need you to defend me," she spat.

"I know," Gansey said, letting go her arm. "But engaging with them is only going to be a waste of time."

"So I'm just supposed to take it? I should just stand here and be objectified and not do or say anything?" Blue hated it. She felt so small and so angry. She wanted to claw the smug faces off those guys. She wanted to scream and rant at Gansey who dared tell her not to.

"No," Gansey sighed. "But picking a fight with those guys isn't going to change anything either."

A part of Blue knew Gansey was right. She was a sensible creature, after all. Blue understood that yelling at those guys would likely end in more insults, maybe even a thrown fist, and they wouldn't learn a lesson and Blue would not feel any better. But she didn't like the alternative. She didn't like having to swallow down her rage and just accept injustice. She glanced at Henry, who looked at a loss for words. Blue wondered if this was the first time he had seen her get set off by misogynists. Or maybe it was the first time he had ever seen a girl get catcalled, period.

Blue cussed a string of expletives that would have made Ronan proud before storming away, heading back in the direction of their Airbnb.

She barreled through the apartment door and kicked off her shoes before angrily collapsing onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow.

Blue felt the bed dip under someone else's weight.

"I hate men!" she growled, her voice partially obscured by the pillow.

"Present company excluded, I hope," Henry mumbled. Blue turned to him, eyes flashing. Gansey was not in the room.

"Three went to get the ice cream to go. He felt it may help with the mood. I had suggested whiskey, but alas."

Blue marveled at Henry and his unshakable habit of facing bad situations with bad jokes.

"I'm not proud of how I reacted," Blue admitted, deflating. "I just can't stand being treated like a piece of meat."

"I don't blame you," Henry said sympathetically. "Men lack this thing called common sense. You know that voice that says 'don't say the first thing that pops into your head'? We don't have it."

"That's not an excuse!"

"No, it isn't," Henry agreed. "And the burden of women is to put up with us and our stupid mouths and our inability to admit how prevalent inequality is. That being said," Henry added, and Blue's eyes flashed dangerously. This was where Henry usually ruined the moment by saying something offensive and Blue braced herself for the punch line. "He wasn't wrong when he said you look good. Because guurrrrl."

Blue punched Henry in the arm.

"Ow! Wait! Seriously! Let's go over the data." He held up a finger to start listing off his points. "Firstly, I'd totally bang you in a heartbeat." Blue groaned and shoved her face back into the pillow. "Yes, you're welcome." He lifted a second finger. "Two, you got Gansey currently banging you."

"Oh my god!" Blue's cry was muffled by the pillow, but her exasperation came across loud and clear. Henry ignored her.

"Three, you sorta-kinda-not-really-but-still dated Parrish, so it's safe to assume that at least at one point he wanted to bang you. Four, you made out with a ghost, so he totally would have banged you had he been alive. Fifth, Ronan-" Henry suddenly cut off, perplexed by his own thought process. Blue turned to look at him inquisitively, suddenly interested in where he was going with this. Henry shook his head. "To be honest, thinking of Ronan as a sexual creature is giving me an aneurysm. I mean, does he even have genitalia? Because I just can't picture it."

Blue smirked. "That's a question for Adam."

Henry pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his contacts. Blue's jaw dropped.

"You seriously aren't going to ask him, are you?"

Henry winked and pressed the call button and set it to speakerphone. It rang four times before a familiar, tired voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Adaaammmm mother bleeping Parrish!" Henry sang into the room.

"Oh, hey Henry. And what do I owe the pleasure?" Adam was no fool. Already his voice had an edge of suspicion to it.

"He's going to punch you next times he sees you," Blue warned Henry as she suppressed her giggles.

"I'm going to do what now?" Adam asked apprehensively. "Was that Blue?"

"Quick question, Parrish. Does Ronan have a penis?" Henry blurted out shamelessly.

Blue immediately hid her face back in the pillow, but her shoulders were shaking with quiet laughter. Adam, meanwhile, was silent over the line, likely processing the question. When he did answer, his voice was completely deadpanned.

"Why don't you ask Ronan himself?"

Blue snorted into her pillow. Henry smiled his winning smile.

"Because, Parrish, I prefer my current state of being where I don't have a broken nose."

"That's a shame," Adam replied. "A broken nose would add much more distinction to your face."

It was at that point that Blue lost it and erupted into loud uncontrolled laughter. Adam, less than amused, hanged up on them without another word.

"Well ain't he just a ball of joy," Henry said, trying to suppress his own giggles.

"You're _terrible_ ," was Blue's response, but she said it like it was a compliment. Her heart was suddenly filled with affection for Henry. He had risked disapproval from Adam, whose approval he had barely earned to begin with, just to cheer her up.

 _I could kiss him_ , she thought.

It was then the door swung open and Gansey trotted in holding a tray with three cups of ice cream.

"Okay, we got mango sorbet for the lady, Rocky Road for the infant, and cappuccino for me. Sharing is encouraged." Gansey placed the ice cream on the counter before looking at his companions to gauge the mood. They were both wearing matching smiles, which was clearly a huge relief for Gansey.

Blue hopped off the bed and skipped towards Gansey to give him a peck on the cheek before taking her sorbet.

"Thanks. Sorry about before," she said. "Henry cheered me up."

Gansey gave Henry an appreciative nod. Their eyes locked and something passed between the two men just then that Blue didn't quite understand. It was captured by the blush on the bridge of Henry's nose. It was highlighted by the intensity in Gansey's gaze. Gansey swallowed. Henry looked away.

The room was suddenly very charged.

_This has gone on long enough._

Blue went onto her tip toes and leaned her lips to Gansey's ear.

"You should kiss him," she whispered. She stepped away and basked in the wide eyed look Gansey gave her. A blush was blooming on his cheeks too.

"Only if you want to," she purred, cupping his cheek with her hand. She smiled lovingly at him as he glanced back to Henry, who was too far away to have heard the exchange and was still actively avoiding looking at Gansey.

"Henry," Gansey said, his voice hoarse, hand outstretched. "Come here."

It was his king voice, silky with lust, and therefore impossible to ignore. Henry drifted to his feet and walked toward the couple, his face unusually blank, like in a trance.

Blue stepped back once Henry was close enough, and Gansey's waiting hand slid up Henry's arm, across his shoulder, and rested tenderly on his neck.

"Can I kiss you?" Gansey asked. Of course Gansey asked, it was not in his nature to take what wasn't freely given.

Henry's eyes widened and his breath hitched. He nodded once, unable to speak, unable to move under Gansey's steadying hand.

"Good."

Gansey leaned in and pressed his lips to Henry's. Blue watched entranced as Henry tensed for just a moment before completely melting into Gansey. The way Henry's body just relaxed, his arms coming up to wrap around Gansey, it was as if he had been drowning before, deprived of air, and Gansey's kiss was the first breath Henry had taken in ages. Gansey's hand tightened around Henry's neck, pulling him closer, and Blue got a quick glance of his tongue swiping the inside of Henry's mouth.

Blue knew firsthand how good of a kisser Gansey was. Henry was learning quickly. He grabbed the back of Gansey's shirt in his fists, pressing their bodies flush together. Both Blue and Gansey had known how Henry had been yearning for this. The way he drank Gansey in was both desperate with need and tender with affection.

Blue didn't want to just watch any longer. She stepped behind Henry and passed her fingers in his hair. Henry broke away from Gansey and looked at her over his shoulder.

"I thought you said you wanted to bang _me_ ," she teased, pulling his head down to her by his hair. Gansey cracked a smile as Blue locked lips with Henry. Not one to be upstaged, Blue nipped Henry's bottom lip, causing him to let loose a tiny whimper, before taking his mouth fully into hers. She could feel Henry coming completely undone in the way his body trembled, in the way he gasped desperately for air before pressing lips and tongue back to hers. She could feel his heart pounding against his ribs erratically. She could feel him growing hard in his designer jeans.

_How starved he must have been._

When they came apart, Henry looked utterly wrecked. His hair was no longer perfectly coiffed thanks to Blue's grip, his lips were swollen, and his eyes were heavy lidded. He was breathing heavily and he took a step back to lean against the counter.

Gansey locked hands with Blue and they both waited patiently for Henry to catch his breath. Henry had his eyes closed and he was consciously inhaling from his nose and breathing out his mouth to get himself under control. After four slow breaths he opened his eyes.

"Fucking Christ," he said eloquently. Henry did not usually swear, nor take the lord's name in vain. It made Blue smile.

"Are you okay?" Gansey asked. Of course he asked, because the well being of the people he loved always came first.

"Fuck," was all Henry was able to say. Henry rubbed his brow and stared at the couple. "I'm not dreaming, am I?" he asked. "This isn't a roofie hallucination or something? This isn't..." he swallowed, "pity?"

"No," Gansey replied softly, his face full of affection. "We know how you feel about us. And we've realized we feel the same way."

"Are you sure?" Henry's voice cracked. "What I feel for you both, what I want..." Blue could tell Henry was struggling for the right words. "This isn't just some fanciful experimentation. You two. What you mean to me. It's..." his hand wove in the air, as if physically trying to grasp the right word. "Everything. You are everything to me."

The way Henry's voice wavered, it sounded like he was on the brink of tears. Blue's heart constricted in her chest. She reached out a hand to Henry and he took it. She pulled him to her and wrapped him tight in her arms. Gansey leaned in his head to rest his temple against Henry's.

"We know," whispered Blue, her cheek against Henry's chest. "We're yours. We will always be yours."

Henry sucked in a rattling breath. Gansey turned his head slightly to bring his lips closer to Henry's ear, their heads still pressed together.

"Will you be ours?" Gansey asked. Gansey would always ask and never assume. That was why he was a king to follow unto death.

"Yes," Henry gasped, his voice raw with emotion. Gansey kissed Henry's forehead tenderly. Blue's arms knotted around him even tighter.

Henry had always been the missing piece. It was so obvious now. Finally, they felt like a complete, unshakable unit.

None of them cared that the ice cream was melting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Who knows, I may do more.


End file.
